Paris Olympics 2024: Australian boxing coach Jamie Pittman withdrawn over sexual misconduct
Boxing coach Jamie Pittman sensationally ruled himself out of the Australian team for the Paris Olympics after a sexual misconduct trial. Here is the evidence that forced him into that shock call.
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One of Australia’s top boxing coaches has withdrawn from this year’s Olympics after admitting to sexual misconduct towards female fighters in an explosive lead-up to the Paris Games.
As the 100-day countdown begins until the start of the Paris Games on July 26, Australian boxing has been rocked by one of the biggest scandals in its Olympic history.
This masthead can reveal Australia’s National Futures coach, former Olympian Jamie Pittman, has withdrawn his application to attend the 2024 Games in Paris after allegations of “lewd, disgusting and offensive” behaviour as part of a government investigation.
Pittman has stood down from the Olympics after the Combat Institute of Australia (CombatAUS), acting on behalf of a number of elite boxers, issued a breach notice to the National Futures coach over a slew of code-of-conduct breaches.
In one comment, Brisbane-born Pittman allegedly says to a rookie Australian male boxer during a team camp last July: “You need to f*** more women to become more of a man”.
The National Sports Tribunal (NST), an independent government body established to resolve sports-related disputes, heard damning evidence against Pittman at a hearing three weeks ago, including:
* The 42-year-old was involved in 11 misconduct incidents during three overseas trips with Australian boxing teams between July and October last year;
* CombatAUS served Pittman with a breach notice for ‘Prohibited Conduct’ relating to abuse, bullying and sexual misconduct;
* Australian boxers, including female members, described Pittman’s conduct as “shocking, gross and inappropriate”, leaving them feeling “embarrassed”;
* Pittman allegedly took a photograph of a female – labelled Athlete J in evidence – as she bent over in front of the national coach, who later showed the image to another member of the Australian team, labelled Athlete B;
* The coach claimed to be “in love” with a young female Italian boxer more than 20 years his junior; and
* CombatAUS slammed Pittman’s behaviour as “puerile”, claiming a number of athletes and other support staff were left feeling “confused, bewildered and uncomfortable”.
In the 19-page report, obtained by this masthead, the NST called for Pittman to be suspended from all CombatAUS activities for six months from November 9, 2023.
The government tribunal also ruled Pittman be reprimanded, provide written apologies to his victims and undergo counselling.
Additionally, Australia’s national futures mentor was ordered to complete approved courses on anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, anti-bullying and anti-sexual misconduct over the next 60 days.
Contacted by this masthead, Pittman declined to elaborate on the allegations, but confirmed he would not be attending the Paris Olympics.
“I withdrew my application in January to focus on my role (as National Futures coach),” he said.
“They have already named the team ... I didn’t apply for the Olympics.”
It is understood Pittman has not been sacked from his current role, but opted not to seek involvement at the Olympics to avoid causing further stress or anxiety for Australia’s record team of 12 boxers in Paris.
A former world-title challenger, Pittman boasts a decorated boxing portfolio.
‘Mr Business’ represented Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics and enjoyed a successful nine-year career as a professional, winning 22 of 25 fights, losing to Felix Sturm for the WBA middleweight world title in Germany in 2008.
Pittman has been involved in mentoring for a decade and was appointed Australia’s futures coach in 2019, which involved overseeing the country’s under-17s and under-19s talent.
Asked if he disputed any of the tribunal’s findings, Pittman said: “It’s all in there for you to read.
“I don’t have any further comment. You will have to read through the report.”
The report alleges Pittman received a written request in November 2023 from an independent investigator, appointed by CombatAUS, to answer 87 questions relating to allegations of misconduct which triggered his breach notice.
The report says Pittman did not contest the findings of Prohibited Conduct, limiting his submissions only to the sanctions imposed by the government tribunal.
Pittman’s “overall pattern of behaviour” occurred during Australian team trips to three countries – Thailand, Italy and Germany – for training camps during a three-month period last year.
According to the NST report, the first flashpoint occurs between July 16-26 last year.
While in Thailand for a team camp, Pittman, within earshot of other CombatAUS fighters, tells Athlete E: “You need to f*** more women to become more of a man”.
On or around October 13, 2023, during a camp at Assisi in Italy, Pittman tells Athlete B: “How f***ing hot are some of the girls here”, in reference to the Italian women’s boxing team.
In another exchange, between October 15-17, the report claims Pittman again tells Athlete B: “Yummy, yes please” as a member of the Italian women’s team walks past.
Around October 18, the report details the most disturbing incident at Germany’s Frankfurt airport.
Watching a woman walk past with a baby, Pittman is alleged to have told Athlete B within earshot of another Australian colleague: “Oh how good is the life of a child. I wish I was that age again ... get pushed around in a pram all day and suck titties.”
The report also details a 10th incident on or around October 21 during a gym session.
Pittman is alleged to give Athlete C “a ‘lap dance’ ... or otherwise moved your hips and buttocks suggestively in thrusting sequences while Athlete C was using a stationary machine, saying to Athlete C words to the effect of: ‘Sexual activity improves performance’.”
In its submission, CombatAUS argued Pittman “repeatedly placed into peril the well-being of a number of elite athletes who, as head coach, Pittman was meant to be preparing for Olympic and elite international boxing competitions”.
The tribunal noted Pittman had previously had an unblemished career as both an athlete and coach since 1999 and was mentoring a young autistic boy.
A submission from the national coach’s legal team read in part: “Whilst he accepts the findings, Mr Pittman contends that he was not consciously engaging in the alleged conduct and was not aware of his alleged actions or of how they would be perceived by others.
“He acknowledges that certain comments he made were inappropriate and unintended to cause offence to some members of the team.”
An AOC spokesman said: “The AOC has noted the judgement by the National Sports Tribunal, including the sanctions handed down.
“Mr Pittman has voluntarily stood down from the Australian Olympic Committee’s Indigenous Advisory Committee for the immediate future.”
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